The UFU is disappointed at developments in Brussels this week, where Bluetongue controls were discussed at the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH).
The UFU has been pressing along with the IFA for an import ban on any livestock which have resided in Bluetongue restricted zones since August 2006 when the disease emerged in Northern Europe.
With uncertainty now surrounding the means of transmissi
on for the disease, the UFU is advocating a safety first approach. At the SCoFCAH meeting, EU vets considered the emerging science about transmission routes, including the developments in the Northern Ireland Bluetongue case, where maternal transmission from cow to calf seems a likely scenario. EU vets have agreed to new pre-export controls for pregnant animals prior to being put in calf. However they stopped short of introducing new import restrictions.
Meanwhile, it is expected that the temporary import ban introduced by DARD on the import of female cattle over 12 months of age and female sheep over six months of age from Bluetongue restricted zones will be extended for another week.
UFU President Kenneth Sharkey said; "We will continue to press for tough restrictions on livestock imports until the transmission routes for Bluetongue are fully understood."
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